Apocalypse: I'm the Landlady of the Refuge

"People cannot come back to life once they have died," Zhou Kai pursed his lips, his eyes drooping with pity. "This is an unchangeable fact, please accept my condolences."

The elderly woman trembled all over due to her grief and rage.

Zhou Kai looked up at the other family members of the deceased standing behind the elderly woman. "I know, the departure of a loved one feels like a sharp blade thrust into the heart, the unspeakable longing and sorrow linger, making it unbearable for everyone.

But have you ever thought about why they fought so desperately?"

Zhou Kai paused briefly, his sorrowful eyes sweeping over each family member of the deceased, finally fixing his gaze on the elderly woman in front of him. "Because... they had you all here in this base to protect!"

The elderly woman’s eyes reddened, and tears fell unstoppable.

Zhou Kai took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed it to the elderly woman. His voice softened, "You are right; your son sacrificed himself to protect the base, but wasn’t he also protecting you?"

The elderly woman looked down at the tissues in her hands, her aged figure appearing more stooped.

Zhou Kai looked up at the crowd again. "The dead are gone, and the living must go on, everyone. Live well and do not let the sacrifice of your loved ones be in vain..."

He then turned his eyes to Ji Wanwan. "Rest assured, your loved ones exchanged their lives for the safety of the base. The base will never forget their contribution!

On behalf of the lord, I promise you all that the base will build a monument for all the deceased, for all the survivors in the base to commemorate. Not only that, all your living resources in the base will henceforth be covered by the base, with no need for additional points.

This is the respect the base shows to the deceased, and also the sincerity extended to the families of the deceased.

Although these words cannot alleviate the grief in your hearts, I must still say once more—

Please, accept my condolences and adapt to this change!"

With those words, the initially enraged relatives all bowed their heads.

Although it was unclear what they were thinking, the atmosphere had evidently softened.

The elderly woman stared at the tissues for a long while, then suddenly clenched them tightly and began to sob loudly.

Zhou Kai stepped forward, reaching out to hug the elderly woman. "Auntie, don’t cry. From now on, I will be like a son to you!"

This made the elderly woman cry even harder, patting Zhou Kai on the back repeatedly, as if he were her own son.

The other families of the deceased also couldn’t help but start crying out loud.

But this time, there was clearly a bit more relief in their cries.

It seemed that Zhou Kai’s words had largely dissolved their anger.

Ji Wanwan looked at Zhou Kai with an increased interest and admiration.

As a CEO who had faced major events, he was indeed better at touching people’s hearts than she was. The same words, had they come from her, might have created a different scene altogether.

As the elderly woman cried her heart out, Zhou Kai lifted his eyelids to look at Ji Wanwan.

As their eyes met, he saw the admiration and gratitude in Ji Wanwan’s eyes, and Zhou Kai slightly curved his lips...

...

After consoling the families of the deceased, Ji Wanwan and her parents spoke for a while.

Mr. and Mrs. Ji, feeling sorry for the families, decided to stay and help them bury their deceased and also to take extra care of them.

After all, in such circumstances, if no one in the base cared for them, then truly no one would.

Knowing her parents’ soft-heartedness, Ji Wanwan gladly left the task of consoling the families to them, allowing herself to get involved in other matters.

After leaving the villa, Ji Wanwan and Zhou Kai walked together on the road back to the Inner City.

Zhou Kai slightly lifted his head to look into the distance, his eyes deep and inscrutable, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he lowered his eyes toward Ji Wanwan beside him, "The people brought back from the Baize Union are much stronger than those brought back from the lab last time, at least they can understand human speech.

To prevent any infected individuals among them, I have arranged for them to stay in a vacant villa.

After observing for three days without any anomalies, we can formally let them join the base."

Ji Wanwan nodded slightly, "I have always been confident in your actions."

This was the first time Ji Wanwan had so openly complimented Zhou Kai; he couldn’t help but smile.

Ji Wanwan was somewhat surprised, "Smiling at what?"

Zhou Kai’s eyes smiled as he curved his lips lazily, "In the past, it was always me using this kind of superior tone to compliment my subordinates. I never thought that one day I would also be complimented like this."

Ji Wanwan was amused by his candid words and couldn’t help teasing him, "Then I’ll be more careful when I talk to you in the future, trying not to use that tone."

"Hahaha..." Zhou Kai laughed out loud this time.

This was the first time Ji Wanwan saw Zhou Kai laugh so unrestrainedly.

Compared to his always meticulous and serious demeanor, Zhou Kai, when laughing, had a bit more of a young master’s carefree and dashing nature.

Of course, it would be even better if one could ignore his swollen cheek.

Zhou Kai was genuinely joyful; it was the first time since the apocalypse erupted that he felt such pleasure.

The relaxation after a victorious battle, the thrill of awakening dual superpowers, the recognition from Boss Ji; it seemed like everything was worth celebrating. Since he was so happy, why not laugh out loud?

This kind of heartfelt laughter was infections. For instance, Ji Wanwan at his side also couldn’t help but soften the angle of her eyes and eyebrows, "Brother Kai, you look very handsome when you smile."

Zhou Kai’s eyes sparkled, his smile bright, "Really?"

Ji Wanwan nodded slightly, "Just one thing, I want to ask you."

Zhou Kai also nodded slightly, "Go ahead."

Ji Wanwan blinked, appearing very innocent, "Brother Kai, why did you decide for me to let the base fully support the families of the fallen with their living supplies?"

Zhou Kai’s smile stiffened, "Ah, this...emmm..."

The man’s smile faded.

A moment of cheerfulness was replaced by a long silence.

Of course, a smile does not disappear; it just shifts.

Like now, Ji Wanwan was very happy as she laughed, "Brother Kai, I’m just teasing you; you handled it very well, really!"

It was just a little bit of supplies, and she, Ji Wanwan, was wealthy enough to afford it!

If it could help her soothe the families of those who had sacrificed, let alone supplies, she would agree even if it meant letting Zhou Kai strip and run and dance around the base!

Laughing this way, the two returned to the Inner City.

Since the end of the battle, Zhou Kai had not rested; he returned to his suite while Ji Wanwan planned to visit Xia Li in the surgery room.

Just as she turned from the hall to the corridor, Ji Wanwan saw a familiar figure sitting in a chair at the entrance of the dining room.

The person’s hair was gray, their body hunched, and the face, which always looked kind, was now full of worry.

Upon seeing Ji Wanwan, the person stood up from the chair, concern and urgency filling their eyes, making Ji Wanwan’s heart ache, "Wanwan, you’re back..."

At that moment, Ji Wanwan’s legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to take another step forward...